Hotline Highlights

These stories have been shared by the WithinReach hotline staff members.

Tanya

“Calling the hotline really saved us.”

Tanya knew that there was a better career out there for her, so she decided to go back to school. She felt strongly that this was the right choice, but financially, it was tough. Making matters worse, her husband’s hours were recently cut. As she wrote out the check for her child’s daycare, she realized that this would pretty much empty their account and it would be a couple weeks before her husband got his next paycheck. Seeing her distress, the daycare provider gave her the number for WithinReach.

“I have no food in my house,” Tanya said when she called the Family Food Hotline. In just a few minutes on the line, she learned that her family would qualify for Basic Food and WIC. A quick calculation showed that her family would be eligible for a benefit of $209 per month. Tanya was able to apply online using WithinReach’s website, ParentHelp123.org. “It made all the difference in the world,” she said.

Shelly

“My husband isn’t getting much work right now. We can't afford our health insurance.”

Shelly called our Family Health Hotline to see if she could get health insurance for her children. She is a substitute teacher and her husband is a construction worker. His income has dropped significantly during the past year. Several months ago, they had to give up their private health insurance and have been putting their living expenses on a credit card. They qualified for both food benefits and insurance which was a huge relief for Shelly.

“This is an all-too-common story these days,” said Jen, WithinReach Information and Referral Specialist, “Incomes are shrinking while the cost of living keeps going up.”

Eric

“My wife is pregnant. We’re really happy, but we need help.”

Eric called the WithinReach Family Health Hotline to inquire about Pregnancy Medical insurance for his wife. She has medical insurance through her job but it doesn't cover a lot. Eric is working part-time right now because he is in the process of starting his own business. He worried that he might need to put his new business on hold to provide for his family.

Eric’s family met the eligibility guidelines for both Pregnancy Medical coverage and food assistance through WIC. He received a referral to his local WIC clinic and was able to use ParentHelp123.org to apply for Pregnancy Medical Insurance for his wife. “This will really help us,” he said.

Inez

“The nurse told me to call about some classes for my son, but I don't know what she means.”

Inez was referred to our Family Health Hotline by a nurse at Seattle Children’s because her three-and-a-half year old son was not speaking. She was not sure what she needed, but had been told that there was a school program to help. Inez is a single mother who works full time and only speaks Spanish. She didn’t know who to call or how she would communicate with them.

She spoke with Ann Marie, one of WithinReach’s bilingual hotline staff members, and learned about developmental screening services and an early learning program available through the school district. After identifying Highline as her school district, Ann Marie connected Inez with a Spanish-speaking staff person from the Special Education Department.